Results from a national Marquette University Law School poll about the public’s opinions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the agency’s work were published Feb 4. The poll was conducted between Jan. 21 and Jan. 28, surveying roughly 1,003 adults across the country.
The law poll found that views are sharply divided among political parties, with 80% of Republicans supporting ICE’s actions versus 23% of independents and 5% of Democrats.
The death of Renee Nicole Good —who was shot in the head by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 — is considered highly visible to the public as reflected in the poll, with 76% of respondents reporting they had heard or read “a lot” about it.
37% said the shooting of Good was justified, while 62% said it was not. 76% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 5% of Democrats considered it to be justified.
In comparison to a Marquette Law Poll from November, opinions on deportations have hardly changed. When asked if they approved the deportation of “immigrants who are living in the United States illegally” in the February poll, 56% of respondents agreed and 44% opposed. In November, 58% favored and 42% opposed these deportations.
Similarly, when asked about deporting those who “have lived [in the U.S.] for a number of years, have jobs and no criminal record,” support dropped to 44% while 56% showed opposition. These findings have not changed since November.
Regarding ICE’s handling of immigration — out of those who approve deportations — 35% disapproved of ICE’s conduct and 65% approved. Those who disapprove of deportations showed a 96% disapproval rating of ICE’s handling of immigration.
President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration earned a 44% approval rating and 56% disapproval rating, according to the law poll. In November, the same ratings were 45% and 55% respectively.
52% of respondents believed the U.S. is mostly deporting immigrants without a criminal record and 47% say they are mostly deporting those with a criminal record. When it comes to the partisan divide, 83% of Republicans believed most deportees do have criminal records, while 57% of independents and 86% of Democrats believed most have no criminal record.
More about the Feb. 4 survey can be found on the Marquette Law Poll website.
This story was written by Mina Marsolek-Bonnet. She can be reached at [email protected].
